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ZAMBOANGA CITY: Suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen have
freed a kidnapped Muslim teacher hours after he was seized in Sulu,
police said.
Supt. Julasirim Kasim, Sulu
police chief said Lullong Marrack, 60, was released late Tuesday
near Maimbung town. “He was freed Tuesday night but we will
continue to investigate the motive behind his kidnap,” Kasim told
reporters on Wednesday.
He said Marrack, who was in a
passenger jeep, was seized at around 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday while on
his way to a high school graduation in the village of Kulasi. “The
gunmen flagged down the jeep and abducted Marrack,” Kasim said.
It was unknown whether Marrack’s
family paid ransom or not in exchange for the safe release of the
victim. But other sources in the town said the victim’s family
negotiated for the teacher’s release.
Another Abu Sayyaf group still
has Rosalie Lao, a Filipino trader with Chinese descent, under their
custody since January 28 when she was kidnapped in Jolo.
Gov. Sakur Tan of Sulu has
ordered security forces to hunt down the Abu Sayyaf and step up
patrol in the province. “We are campaigning hard to maintain peace
and order in Sulu and we do not want any incident of kidnappings or
terrorism in the province,” Tan said. Last month, Abu Sayyaf
militants freed a kidnapped Muslim university principal, Omar Taup,
after more than two months in captivity in Tawi-Tawi.
--Al Jacinto
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